Dolls
by mrs-stuart-turner
Summary: UDPATED. A serial killer is on the loose in Sun Hill ... can they catch him before it's too late? Chapter 4 is now up. Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

**Dolls.**

Samantha Nixon walked into her CID department, a grave look on her face.

"You look like someone just stole the last chocolate bar from under your nose, Ma'am." Jo commented, sitting at her desk, pen lying limply between her fingers. Sam didn't reply, instead choosing to stare at Jo as though she was going to burn a hole through her. Sam finally sighed, and began to speak.

"Gina and Beth just found another body, floating in the shallow end of the canal." She paused, and pushed through the doors at the back of the room, walking through to a whiteboard with two pictures of a dead woman, her eyes opened and unblinking. "We've had two girls pulled from the water in the past month, and now this one … I think we may have a serial killer on the loose." Sam declared, staring at the pictures.

Jo looked from the photos to her superior. "Surely that's a bit, dramatic, Sam?"

"What's dramatic?" Stuart asked, joining the two women standing at the whiteboard. He handed Jo a large take-away coffee cup, and she accepted it gratefully, murmuring her thanks as she took a sip. Stuart smiled to himself, and asked again "What's dramatic?"

"We now have three bodies that have been pulled out of various Sun Hill canals, all in the past month." Sam said, crossing her arms across her chest.

"What are you thinking, serial killer?" Stuart asked, taking a sip from his own cup.

"Unfortunately, yes." Sam said. The three officers stood in silence for a moment, before Sam spoke again. "January 3rd, eighteen year old Violet Moores was pulled out of the Riverside Canal, after a man and his dog found her. Initial reports claimed she had drowned, but further investigation proved that she was dead when she was thrown in. Suffocation, apparently."

The three studied the picture for a moment again, until Jo broke the silence. "There's something disturbing about these photos … "

Stuart laughed. "Well, they are dead, Jo."

Jo rolled her eyes at him in that familiar way. "I know that, thank you very much Sherlock Holmes. I meant the way they look … their eyes all wide and open, and the lips look really … "

"… Pouted. And lipsticked." Sam finished Jo's sentence for her, who was nodding in agreement.

"And their faces are all waxy; it looks more like plastic than skin." Jo added, leaning in closer to the board.

"Hmmmm." Sam murmured in agreement, leaning closer into the board as well, while Stuart looked at the photos over the both of their heads.

"They look like dolls." He said, mostly to himself.

"I think you've got a point there, darlin'." Jo said, taking another sip from her cup.

"So what have we got here? Some psycho on the loose, killing women and then making them look like dolls?" Sam asked, hands in the air.

"Looks like it." Jo said, sitting on the edge of the desk.

"Okay, well if that's what we have, what else can we tell about these women? What do they all have in common?" Sam asked, crossing to the bookcase and pulling out a file, before opening it on the table, full of the details of both murders. The three of the picked up different pieces of paper, and started reading.

"How tall was Violet?" Stuart asked.

"Erm … five foot two. Why?" Sam replied, reading off a sheet of paper.

"Well Annabel was only five feet tall." Stuart said, dropping the sheet of paper to his side.

"So they were both vertically challenged. What's the fuss?" Jo asked.

"I don't know, maybe he had a thing for small women." Stuart said, trying to reason. The doors swung open, and Beth appeared, carrying a sheet of paper.

"This is the latest girl we've pulled out of the canal, Ma'am." She said, handing Sam the piece of paper.

"Thanks Beth." Beth smiled in response to Sam and walked back out of the room.

"Monet Lauder, a French student here in London for work." Sam started, while Stuart and Jo listened. "A woman on her way to work found her this morning …. Brown hair …. Four foot eleven inches tall … " Sam paused after reading this, and looked at Stuart, who looked at Jo.

"What?"

Sam gave her a look, before continuing to read. "Forty-two kilos … seventeen years old." Sam placed the paper on the table in front of her, sighing sadly.

"What a waste." Stuart said, remarking on the girl's young age, while Jo peered at the picture of Monet.

"I don't know if either of you have realised, but Monet here is looking incredibly composed for a dead person."

Stuart and Sam peered at the photo, and realised Jo was right. Although she was dead, Monet's hair was shiny, while her lips were full and red. Her brown eyes looked at the three officers, highlighted by bright purple eye-shadow and lashings of mascara.

"We definitely have a serial killer on the loose, if these girls are anything to go by." Sam said, placing the photos of Violet, Annabel and Monet in a line, their wide eyes staring Sam, Jo and Stuart right in the eye, challenging them to find who killed them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed my opening chapter, the reviews were much appreciated!**** I have no idea how this story is really going to turn out, except for a few things. This isn't my normal pairing; this Juart business, but I do love them! Hope you enjoy this chap, and please review again!**

"Whaddya reckon?" Jo asked, looking over at Stuart from the passenger seat.

"About what?" He replied, his fingers drumming the steering wheel.

"Three o'clock." Jo tilted her head at someone outside of Stuart's window, and he turned his head to look as well.

"What, that blonde girl?" He said, peering at her, also keeping an eye on the traffic light in front of them, currently a vibrant red colour.

"I think she's just your type Stuart." Jo said, smiling.

Stuart smiled. "And how would you know 'just my type', DC Masters?"

"Ooh, just a hunch, _Detective Sergeant _Turner."

"I'd say she's more your type." Stuart said, casually putting the car into gear as the traffic light in front of them finally turned green.

"Oi! Cheeky." Jo responded, smiling, while Stuart laughed. Their car fell into an easy silence until they parked in a bed of leaves, underneath a massive tree. They both got out, and Stuart locked the car, before making their way down to the canal, having to walk down a slippery embankment first.

"Watch out Jo, these things can be slippery." Stuart warned, walking closely behind Jo.

"I'll be fine … I'm a big girl now Stu -" The last syllable of his name was caught in Jo's throat though, as she lost her footing and slipped, almost plunging down the steep mound of dirt, if Stuart hadn't caught on quickly and grabbed her right arm. She swung around, her feet swiveling in the wet mud, and grabbed hold of Stuart's neck as though her life depended on it.

"What were you saying?" Stuart said, smiling down at Jo.

"Shut it." She said, regaining her balance. She stood up straightly, and was now almost eye to eye level with Stuart. "Well, isn't this cosy?" She said, her arms still around his neck.

Stuart laughed, sounding a little nervous. "Very. However, I think we should get on with our case."

"I suppose you're right." Jo took her arms away from Stuart's neck, and she turned around, making her way down to the canal once again, smiling to herself, when she felt a hand on the small of her back, and another hand on her upper arm, again.

"Just so you don't fall again." She heard Stuart's voice coming from behind her, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

'Down hairs, down!' Jo silently sent a message to her brain. Why was she feeling like this? It was Stuart Turner, her best mate since they had bonded over the supermodel case, their relationship going from strength to strength, considering he had saved her life, and she had saved his career. Anyway, she shouldn't be having these feelings; Stuart was not a woman. Besides, the last time she had felt feelings like these, they were for Tess … definitely not a man.

'Her hair smells like strawberry.' Stuart mused, walking behind Jo. He was smiling; he was rather proud of his act of chivalry, and he was more than happy to keep it going, his hands rather occupied in guiding her down to the water. He didn't know why he was feeling like this … in fact, the last woman he had _those_ kinds of feelings for had been none other than a certain blonde detective, Samantha Nixon. It had worked out alright with her, but there was a difference – Sam wasn't a lesbian, and Jo was. Stuart sighed inwardly. They were good mates, but there wasn't any harm in dreaming, was there?

"Ooh, looks cosy." Gina commented to Sam, standing on her left.

"What?" Sam asked, turning to face Gina. "Oh." Sam spotted Jo and Stuart, slowly walking together down the embankment, through a clearing in some trees. Jo had a small smile on her face, looking as though she was a million miles away, while Stuart had his hands on Jo's back and arm, looking as though he was guiding her down the slippery slope.

"Jealous?"

Sam's eyes snapped to Gina. "No! Why would I be, I've already had that … well, not with Jo, obviously … " Sam trailed off, embarrassed, as Gina raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Can we just get on with the case?" Sam asked, ignoring Gina's questioning eyebrow.

"You're the boss." Gina said, raising two fingers to her head in a salute.

"Mission accomplished." Jo said, walking onto the flat ground.

"You know what? We make a good team." Stuart said, joining her on the flat ground, walking towards Sam and Gina standing next to the canal where Monet had just been pulled out of.

"I already knew it, sweetheart." Jo said, and Stuart smiled in response, swinging an arm around her shoulders. Together they walked towards Sam and Gina, standing at the canal, looking over the scene.

"Do we have anything yet Ma'am?" Jo asked, as Stuart's arm made its way back to its owner.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, just like the other two." Sam replied, looking out over the water.

"Surely there has to be _something_ though? Have the CSE been yet?" Stuart asked.

"Yes, they have Stuart, and they found nothing out of the ordinary." Sam snapped. Jo and Stuart exchanged looks, while Gina pretended not to have heard anything.

"Well if that's the case, I don't know why you wanted both of us down here." Stuart replied, finally breaking the tense silence. "Come on Jo, we'll go back to the station, if that's alright with you, _Ma'am._"

"Fine." Sam answered icily, choosing to ignore his sarcastic tone. Stuart and Jo turned and started to walk back to their car, leaving Sam and Gina standing by the water once again.

"What was that all about?" Gina asked, not wasting anytime.

"What? Nothing." Sam replied, shrugging her shoulders in a casual manner.

"Oh, come on Samantha." Gina scoffed, looking at Sam, who eventually met her gaze.

"What? There isn't anything out of the ordinary!" Sam stressed her point.

"That's not what I meant."

"Well then I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm going back to the station before I freeze." Sam pulled her coat tighter around her body and walked to her car, leaving Gina standing alone in front of the canal.

She knew she was being childish, but she couldn't help it. The words just kind of tumbled out, and she didn't _mean_ to snap at Stuart, but there was just something about the way he was being with Jo that made her feel indifferent. Sam mentally kicked herself for being jealous. Just because Jo and Stuart were being all friendly, didn't mean they were together or anything … Jo was a lesbian, after all.

Sam stole a glance at them through the trees. There they were, Stuart closely following behind Jo, this time both his hands around her waist, guiding her up the muddy hill towards their car. Sam could feel her eyes narrow involuntarily. It wasn't that long ago that she was in Jo's position, and now what did she have? A cold, empty house to return to after a long day at work.

Sam sighed sadly, reaching her car. She unlocked the door and slid into the seat, thinking of happier times … with not only Stuart, but her best mate/lover Phil Hunter. He had left quite a while ago, and they promised to stay in contact, but apart from a few emails and the occasional phone call, that was it really. She was all by herself, and although she had her career, it couldn't keep her warm at night.

--

**Virtual vegemite sandwiches for those who review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to all my reviewers; you've all brightened my day (which is pretty dull considering the amount of work I have to do for Year 12). Please keep R&R – ing! Love to all. **

Stuart and Jo pushed through the CID doors early the next morning, and were met with Sam, her hands on her hips, as they hung up their coats.

"Where've you two been then?"

Stuart and Jo exchanged looks.

"Nowhere, Ma'am, we've just come in." Jo answered.

"Why, what's happened?" Stuart added.

"Another girl's been pulled out of the canal by Spicer Street." Sam informed them, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Is Spicer Street not dealing with it then?" Jo asked.

"No, I got them to send it over here; we'll be dealing with it."

"So it's another doll then?" Stuart asked.

Sam nodded. "They've yet to take photos, so if you want to grab your coats, we'll head down there now."

--

"DI Nixon, this is DS Turner and DC Masters, Sun Hill." Sam flashed her warrant card at the Spicer Street Officer standing in front of the police tape, by the waterside. He swiftly moved aside, and Sam reached up and pulled the tape over her head, passing it over to Stuart in the air, who held it up long enough for Jo to duck under.

"Looks like she's over here." Sam said, making her way through the mud, the bottom of her coat getting covered with it. She soon reached the body, covered with a white sheet, and when Stuart and Jo had caught up, she knelt by the body and slowly lifted the sheet off her.

Sam, Stuart and Jo stared at her for a moment, not speaking, their breathes caught in their throats. The girl they were confronted with had long red hair, which was straight and glossy, despite being wet. Her eyes were wide, and rimmed with coats of mascara, along with bright green eye-shadow, complimenting her green eyes. She was wearing a white dress, with small blue flowers printed on it, and frilly, white socks, with black Mary-Janes on her feet.

"She looks like she's straight out of a picture book." Sam said, kneeling next to her.

"Any ID?" Stuart asked the officers milling about, and a man handed him a clutch purse. Stuart muttered his thanks and rummaged through it, before extracting a small white card.

"Loretta Hamilton, date of birth 27th February, 1989." Stuart dropped the card to his side, revealing a smiling girl with long red hair in the small picture.

"She's almost 19 then. Does it say anything about where she's from?" Sam asked.

"Erm … " Stuart looked down at the card once again. "No."

"So she could be from anywhere at all." Sam stated, standing up.

"She doesn't look very tall." Jo commented, sizing her up. She looked from Sam down to Loretta. "I think she's about your height, Sam."

"We'll see in the official report, but, no, she doesn't look very tall." Sam said.

The three of them stood around for a few moments, before Sam broke the silence. "Come on, let's get back to the nick. There's nothing more for us to do here."

--

Stuart walked into the briefing room where Sam and Jo were standing. "Right, Loretta Hamilton." He announced, pinning the picture onto the board, alongside the other three girls. "Lived in Aberdeen, was down in London for a holiday I believe, traveling with her friends."

"Where are her friends now?" Sam asked.

"Well, apparently they raised the alarm of her being missing one afternoon when she hadn't returned from the previous night's conquest. They've gone back home though."

"They returned without finding her?" Jo asked, indignantly.

"Actually, there's a girl down in the front office asking to speak to the officer dealing with Loretta." Beth piped up from behind the three of them, having just walked in and catching the end of their sentence.

"Oh, thanks Beth. Stuart, do you want to deal?" Sam asked him, and he nodded, walking out of CID with Beth.

"So is Loretta another 'doll'?" Beth asked, walking quickly to keep up with Stuart.

"Looks like it." Stuart replied, walking down the stairs to the front office. "Which one is she then?" He asked, peering through the front office glass door.

"That girl sitting over there, Sarge." Beth pointed him in the direction of a brunette, sitting on a chair, nervously jiggling her foot, her pale face etched with worry.

"Right, thanks, PC Green."

Stuart pushed through the door and walked to the girl sitting down. "Are you a friend of Loretta Hamilton's?"

She nodded. "Yeah." Her voice was soft, with a Scottish accent.

"How about we talk in here?" Stuart opened the door to the front interview room, and she followed his arm in.

"Can we start with your name?" He asked, sitting down across from her.

"Kelly Henderson. Is there any news about Lorrie? Have you found her?" She asked, sitting forward.

"We have found her." Stuart started, and Kelly's eyes opened up. "But … she was pulled out of the Spicer Street Canal this morning. I'm sorry Kelly, but she was dead."

Kelly was motionless for a few seconds, before opening her mouth, but no sound came out. She coughed and tried again. "How did she die?"

"Erm … " Stuart tried to think of a way to put it nicely. "We believe she was a victim of a serial killer."

"A serial killer?!" Kelly asked in disbelief. This kind of thing only really happened in the movies.

Stuart nodded. "Is there anything you can tell me about her that may help us? Anything about the night she went missing?"

Kelly thought for a moment, before nodding. "Well, we were all down in London for a two week holiday, and one night we went out clubbing, and Lorrie went home with some bloke." She paused to look a Stuart who nodded encouragingly, before continuing.

"Well she said that she'd meet us back at our room at the B&B, but she never returned, and the next day we had to go back home …" Tears slipped down Kelly's white cheeks. "So the others went, but I had to stay; she was my best friend! And then today I heard that Sun Hill Police were dealing with her … and here I am."

"Thank you Kelly, this helps a lot." Stuart said as Kelly stood up to go.

"You will call me when you find who did this?" She asked, pulling her coat tighter around her body.

"Definitely." Stuart re-assured her.

She smiled sadly at him before walking out of the station, the cold air whipping her hair around her face, as Stuart went back up to CID.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here we go again; I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please R&R!**

"Right, can you two get down to Club 246 and ask for the CCTV tapes, if they have any?" Sam asked after Stuart had told her about Kelly and her statement.

"On our way." Jo said, grabbing her coat, and chucking the car keys at Stuart.

Sam watched them walk out of CID together, happy and joking, trying to stop her eyes from narrowing. The last time she had felt a pang of jealously similar to the one she was feeling now was when Phil had first brought Monica Dreyfuss back to the station. She was young and French, and as she stared out at her sitting down, waiting, she tried to control her jealousy.

_She looks like a moose._ Sam had told herself, trying to keep a steady head. But as she watched Phil with her, escorting her down the stairs, his hands suspiciously close to her body, she felt the anger boil over and was forced to bury herself in her office for the rest of the night.

It's not like she was jealous of Jo, having Stuart as someone to flirt with. _Been there, done that._ And she wasn't jealous of Stuart having Jo to flirt with. _Not a lesbian._ It was the fact that they had each other, and she had no one at all. They could wake up in the morning and know that there was someone out there who was worth getting up for; a day worth living. What did DI Nixon have? Her work.

_Work. _The fax machine beeped over in the far corner, and Sam quickly moved to it, realising that she had been stood on the spot for the past minute, thinking about things she didn't have. Clutching the corner of the paper coming through the machine, she read eagerly, her eyes drinking the facts in.

--

"I wonder why Sam's so ratty lately." Jo mused, looking out of the car window.

"Time of the month?" Stuart asked, turning the car into a main road.

"Perhaps. Or maybe … " Jo paused for dramatic effect, and Stuart turned his head to look at her. "She's pregnant!" Jo said with a flourish.

Stuart smiled. "Maybe. She _was_ pretty ratty when she actually was pregnant, but erm … " Stuart finished his sentence awkwardly.

"Whoa, back up. What do you mean when she actually was pregnant?" Jo asked, her eyes set on Stuart.

"Well, when we were together and she –"A sudden thought struck him. "You weren't at Sun Hill then."

"Well, apparently not. I knew you and Sam dated, but I didn't know you impregnated her!" Jo said, giving him a playful slap.

Stuart was at a lose as to what to say, but luckily for him Jo continued. "She miscarried?"

Stuart coughed. "Erm, yeah."

The car fell into a somewhat awkward silence, until Jo broke it, smiling. "Imagine you as a Daddy!"

Stuart laughed. "You can imagine all you like, but it won't be happening for a while Jo." He turned the car into an alley way and parked. "Here we are. Club 246. I imagine you're here every other Saturday night, Ms Masters."

Jo scoffed. "In your dreams, darlin'."

They got out of the car, and Stuart held the club door open for Jo, before he whistled. "Snazzy."

Jo turned around and gave him a dazzling smile. "Why, thank-you, Mr. Turner. I had no idea!" She said, before laughing.

"I was talking about the club." Stuart said, giving Jo a playful shove. Jo went to push him back, but soon stopped as a man approached them.

"Can I help you?" He asked, eyeing them up.

"Yes, DS Turner, DC Masters, Sun Hill CID." Stuart said, adopting a professional sounding voice.

"Do you have CCTV?" Jo asked, tucking her warrant card away.

"Yes, new system installed just last month." He crossed his arms across his chest.

"Right, can we have the tape for last Saturday night?" Jo asked.

"Michael!" The club's owner yelled at a man behind the bar, who immediately came running. "Get the CCTV tapes from Saturday night." Michael nodded and scurried away, as Jo and Stuart exchanged looks.

"Can I ask what this is all about?" The club owner spoke again.

"We're investigating a girl who was here on Saturday night, Mr … " Jo trailed off.

"Milesi. Paul Milesi."

"Right, Mr Milesi. We'll be down if we need any further information." Jo said as Michael handed her a disk in a case.

"Sure thing." Milesi's eyes remained fixed on the two officers as they walked out of the club, unblinking.

--

"That guy gave me the creeps." Jo said, sliding into the passenger seat.

"I can't imagine why someone would marry him." Stuart added, buckling his seatbelt.

"Was he married?"

Stuart nodded. "Did you not notice the ring he wore?"

"Nup. Good on ya, Sherlock." Jo said, as they drove out of the alleyway, on their way back to Sun Hill.

--

Sam was sat in her office, pouring over documents, when the door opened and Stuart appeared.

"We got the tapes, Ma'am." He said, closing the door.

"Good. Have you seen them yet?" She asked, not looking up from the dozens of pages scattered across her desk.

"No, we've just got back, but Jo's putting it on now." Stuart's response was met with silence, as Sam read and muttered words to herself.

"Samantha?" Stuart asked.

"Hmm?" Her head shot up and she fixed him with a stare.

"What are you working on?" He asked, moving closer to the desk and papers.

"Just a theory I have about the girls." She said, standing up while shuffling papers around.

"Care to divulge?" Stuart asked, reading a few snippets of writing.

"All four girls were pretty young, yeah?" Sam started, and Stuart nodded in agreement. "Perhaps they all had something in common, other than being young. And small."

"Like what? Book club?" Stuart asked, a half-smile playing on his lips, which was met with Sam's stony look that she was well known for.

"I'm talking about where they hung out. Perhaps they all hung out at Club 246?" Sam said.

"Bit of a long-shot, isn't it Ma'am?"

"Maybe, but what else have we got to go on? All four of them are small and young. And female. I can hardly build a water-tight case on that, can I Stuart?" Sam snapped.

"Not really." He replied, eyeing his superior. "Sam, is there anything you want to talk about?"

She looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. "Like what?"

"Well, I dunno, personal problems … " Stuart started.

"No, there's nothing." Sam lied through her teeth. For a moment she felt like telling him everything, how she was lonely, how she missed Phil, how she was jealous of Jo and Stuart's flirting … but then what would he make of her? Instead, she chose the route that she had most often visited – attack as a form of defence.

"If there was something wrong, why would I tell you?"

"I like to think we can talk to each other." Stuart said defensively.

_I like to thin__k we can too. But it's too late Sam, you have to follow this through._ "What, after you bailed on me after I miscarried our baby? I don't think so. I'm now your superior, Sergeant. There's nothing further to talk about." Sam sat down once again, dismissing Stuart, who wordlessly left, slamming the door behind him.

For once, Sam was glad that Neil had drawn the blinds in their joint office, as she let the tears fall freely down her cheeks.

--

"What?" Jo eyes followed Stuart as he came and sat next to her on the desk, facing the TV. His face had an odd, angry and confused look on it.

"It's definitely her time of the month." Stuart said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Who, Nixon?"

"Yeah." He turned to look at Jo, before continuing. "I go in to tell her about the tape, she tells me about a theory she's working on. I talk it over with her, and casually ask if she's alright. Before I know it, she's leapt down my throat, asking me why she would tell me anything. Next thing, she brings up the fact that I bailed when she miscarried, and then we're back to her being my superior." He once again turned to look at Jo, who now had a hurt look on her face.

"You bailed on her when she miscarried?" Jo asked, staring him in the eye.

"I didn't bail, as such. She chose to tell Phil bloody Hunter about the baby, I come back from a day at court and Phil tells me she's at home. I go there to comfort her, and she chucked me out!" Stuart pleaded his case. "I didn't bail on my pregnant girlfriend." He added, placing a hand on Jo's arm.

Jo smiled. "I believe you, you're better then that Stuart."

He patted Jo's arm, before turning his attention to the screen. "Have you got anything yet?"

"I was waiting for you. And some popcorn." She added with a smile, before pressing the play button, starting what would be a long afternoon of watching drunken people dance and make passes at each other.

--

"Hey, are you coming tonight?" Beth asked Emma, pulling on her leather jacket.

"Yeah, wouldn't miss it for the world! And after the day I've had, I could do with a good drink and a dance." Emma replied, smiling.

"Awesome. Who else is coming?" Beth asked the entire locker room, and a few responses were mumbled.

"Are we meeting in the taxi, or at the club?" Diane asked, brushing her hair out of the school-girl buns they had been in all day.

"Erm … I don't know, what do you think?"

"I think we should meet at my house, and then get a cab there." Sally piped up, shoving a jumper into her bag.

"Alright, see everyone at seven then?" Beth asked, and people nodded and muttered their responses, leaving the locker room with a sense of anticipation in the air.

--

"How long have we watched this for?" Jo asked, rolling her head side to side.

"Four hours." Stuart said, glancing at his watch.

Jo let out a scream of frustration. "Surely there has to be something else we can do?" She pleaded.

"Oh, someone sounds so stressed!" Stuart put on a baby voice, just to patronize her, before placing his large hands on the base of her neck. "I think someone needs a massage." He lowered his voice and proceeded to massage her, his breathe caught in his throat. _Finally, a valid reason to touch her._

"Wow, that feels good." Jo commented, rolling her head side to side again _His touch feels so right. Even if he's not a woman._ "Have you ever thought of taking this up professionally Stuart? 'Cause I'm sure you could make a fortune."

Stuart laughed, his breath tickling the hairs on the base of Jo's neck. "As much as I would love to, I just can't tear myself away from this joint." _Or you._

Stuart moved closer, but soon their moment was shattered by Sam walking into the room. "Have you got anything?"

An incredibly dirty thought flickered across Jo's mind, but she managed to straighten up and talk to Sam. "Not really Ma'am. She makes a few appearances, but there's nothing really significant."

"Hold on." Stuart said, watching the screen closely. "Isn't that Paul Milesi chatting her up?"

All three of them leaned in closer to the screen, watching a small redhead in a purple dress sway to the music, leaning in close to an older man clad completely in black, who was shouting something apparently humorous into her ear.

"Who?" Sam asked.

"Paul Milesi, Ma'am. He's the owner of Club 246." Jo answered her, closely watching as he smiled at Loretta as she stumbled across the club. In a moment he was joined by another woman, this one wearing a white suit with her dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail. They exchanged words, both looking after Loretta.

"Who's that?" Sam asked.

"We didn't meet her at the club, but judging by the way Paul's talking to her and touching her, I'd guess it's his wife." Stuart said.

"Right, can you two run checks on these people; I want to know everything about them." Sam ordered, and Stuart nodded.

"Ma'am, can we do an Obbo on them? There's just something about Paul that makes me suspicious, call it a hunch." Jo said.

Sam thought about it for a moment. "Alright, you two can go tonight. Watch him at the club, and then follow him home. But only surveillance, we don't have anything on him yet."

"Ma'am."

--

**Virtual lamingtons for all of those who review :-) **


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